New USB Cable from DH Labs: The Mirage

Super high tech secret underground base?

 

Any further listening reports on this cable?
Especially compared to other cables in its price range.

(not interested in USB science discussions, there are lots of those elsewhere)

 

Infamous! I'm looking for clues in your posts.

All I see is opinion and testimony rather than reality testing for effects described that should be quite easily verifyable if they exist.

Personally, not hearing difference with expensive USB cable even though I have been able to demonstrate many other high-res effects even if I can't hear them.

 

Hey, I would love to be called infamous! Just once!

Correct me if I am wrong, but on just about every one of your tests, nothing really makes a difference.

 

I love this feature "Digital audio conductors and the power conductors have been physically separated using proprietary Signal Isolation Technology"! That is the best of the best.

 

Yes, it seems like a good move.

 

It is the best of da best. On an analog interconnect, would you want a 5V charge traveling along side the signal conductors? Me thinks not!

 

Why are you bringing up analog interconnects in this thread on digital USB cables? Forgive me in advance if there is a direct correlation that I missed.

 

I have repeatedly said that digital audio is far closer to analog than people are willing to concede. It is just NOT bits or data, like sending a print job to your ink jet.

 

Because in this case, isn't it even more important to isolate a specific signal? In analog cases, the cable isn't providing input power along with signal, to the device on the receiving end. USB, as I am figuring out, is most certainly not a medium where you just pull a cable out of a drawer, plug it into your motherboard, and get stunning audio of the highest quality. If it were, I would expect it to at least be equal to the much-maligned Toslink connection. In reality, my Toslink connection is head and shoulders better than my USB setup, and this with a pretty high quality USB dac to help clean things up on that side.

 

Hello STM, I measured many differences over the years - off the top of my head:

- Jitter is worse with adaptive isochronous vs. asynch USB
- Jitter is more a function of the transceiving system than the digital cables - for example, can easily demonstrate for any one piece of gear which input (TosLink/coax/USB...) is best
- analogue interconnects can demonstrate crosstalk differences even if shielding is not an issue
- the Tascam DAC/ADC I measured in Dec 2014 had power supply noise so I returned it even though it was ultrasonic and a subjective reviewer would likely not hear it
- the Dragonfly USB DAC measures objectively worse than the AudioEngine D3
- I can easily demonstrate the effect of Non-Oversampling DACs and aliasing products as well as effect on frequency response
- impulse responses can easily be verified for any specific DAC - for example, show the differences between the different digital filters from the TEAC DAC; and some of that can be audible
- I showed that there was a strange anomaly with my ASUS Essence One's upsampling and why it should not be used
- JPLAY from 2013 had a bug with 24/48 playback

But despite the anomalies, I can say that I have not seen anything unusual with USB cables, nor ethernet cables so long as the cables are of decent construction and not that faulty one I demonstrated and linked earlier. Remember folks - bad USB cables have a characteristic "digital error" sound!

As I hope you recognize, I do not participate much in subjective vs. objective wars these days unless some personal comment is made (and assuming I see the post!). Likely at most, I'll just post a link to something I might have put up on the blog.

Ultimately I agree with the idea that how good something sounds is the domain of the subjective. Anyone can have an opinion and that's fine. It's none of my business whether a person prefers rap over rock. Nor is it my business if a person prefers the sound of the AudioQuest Dragonfly over the AudioEngine D3. But I can show a few objective differences and can say that the D3 is cleaner and has a flatter frequency response. And personally I would put my own money on the D3 because these are priorities for me.

In the same way, I have yet to come across evidence that something as straightforward as whether a USB digital cable is adequate for transferring data (not "music") without error requires expensive cables more than a decent $20 set. Of course I can appreciate cost of excellent workmanship and build quality, but that's got nothing to do with sound quality. Science cannot explain an audible difference. Given that USB transmission is technological in nature, then IMO it is best explained in the domain of science and engineering (ie. measurable objectively). If the science leaves little doubt of an issue, then subjective differences (especially big ones like someone mentioned "1000% difference" or something like that) should be examined under the psychological umbrella.

As I have said many times, I am happy to change my opinion if evidence is available or if I personally experience a difference with my own subjective experimentation. So far, I have not run into such subjective inconsistencies or published objective evidence to change my view on USB cables.

 

Archimango, I do feel obligated to say I very much enjoy reading your blog. Yours is a very frank, refreshing take

 

Well, seeings how the cable is only 1/4" in diameter or so, it will be traveling along side the signal wires. Wrapped in some foil shielding of some sorts of course, but that is common and not extraordinary.

 

I love silly USB cable threads. Especially when someone spends $250 (!!!!) on one. Always always brings the lols.

 

Agreed. It is a very interesting blog with quite a lot of useful information.

 

Hey Archimago:

Great (and lengthy) post. Really enjoyed it. You make some good points.

I will say that science simply cannot explain everything.

 

And let me take a wild guess.. you have never tried it, or ANY higher grade USB cable.

 

Extraordinary in the sense not everyone is doing it, as a matter of fact, few are.

So do go as far as physically separating the power and signal leads.

 

Well we're all waiting for that test disc on cable comparisons, that one that will never appear. You know it won't and you know why.

 

Oh my god its back lol

 

Who is "we're all"...I don't know ANYONE waiting for anything. Next.

 

We all are waiting for that magic disc, that disc that finally will show those differences we so eagerly are longing for. Then life will be totally different, we will kiss our enemies and we will always walk on clouds.

 

Yes.

Okay, no.

 

Could we not just have a bluetooth enabled phono cartridge to send a signal direct to an amplifier and do away with all those nasty cables?

 

This thread and it's recent continuation is a great example of why I don't post here anymore.